Chapter 316: Stroke of Genius (1)
Kai's rise as the first count in MID Online quickly spread. The information, initially spread through the nobles, reached the ears of rankers close to them, who then leaked it to the community. It didn’t take long before most players had heard the news of Kai’s promotion.
-Wasn’t Kai originally a baron? A double promotion at once? How is that even possible?
└ And yet, it actually happened.
-This is why people keep saying Godknown, Godknown. He’s done what even the world’s top eight guilds couldn’t do, all on his own.
-Ranked 1st, multiple territories... That alone is enviable, and now he even has the power of a count?
└ And to add to that, didn’t he rake in a massive fortune from dispatching dwarf artisans recently? If you consider that too, he might actually be the richest person in the world.
└ Come on, even with all that, there’s still the Black Market guild. No way a single person’s the richest.
└ Fanboys really need to calm down. Unknown is always the best with you guys lol
Kai had already become a major name in MID Online. Especially since he had accomplished so much on his own, unaffiliated with any guild, there were many players who admired his achievements. Naturally, a popular figure attracted fans, as well as anti-fans.
Kai scratched his head as he watched the enthusiastic keyboard warriors argue over him again.
“I mean, it probably is me. The richest player...”
Although he had been steadily converting gold to cash, his mansion’s vault still held gold worth several hundred billion won.
Even if the Black Market guild is full of crafters, they’re not on my level.
The same went for Black Dragon, the largest guild by scale. Even with all their assets and intangible holdings combined, they likely wouldn’t match his. Of course, Kai didn’t feel the need to make that known to the public.
I promised Pegasus, and it’s not like there’s any benefit to telling them.
Even now, the envy and jealousy from players grew like a snowball each day, so if it came out that he was also the richest in the game?
“Ugh, just imagining it is awful.”
The thought of a flood of hate comments made his whole body shiver.
Watching Kai's reaction, Helik tilted her head. “What are you talking about?”
“Hm?Oh, well...”
Kai was currently hanging out in the Celestial Garden. He had just been promoted to count, had no quests to complete, and the two newly acquired territories from Count Hind—Rozan and Traban—were as large as Glendale, so they were steadily growing even without him.
And their acting lords are excellent.
The two brothers now acting as lords had both been orphans supported by Count Hind, and their loyalty to him was exceptional.
Count Hind suggested I replace them with my own people, but...
Kai saw no reason to remove such competent managers. The real problem was that Kai had no capable candidates nearby to appoint as acting lords.
“Hm. Maybe I really should post a recruitment notice.”
As Kai pondered seriously, a shrill voice pierced his ears.
“You... Why do you keep ignoring me!”
“Hm?”
He had been so lost in thought he hadn’t even realized someone was speaking beside him. Kai looked over at Helik, who was trembling with her tiny fists clenched tight.
“I asked you... what’s the matter six times...”
“S-six times?”
It seems he hadn’t been thinking for a short time.
She called out six times? Oh no...
Kai quickly began to soothe Helik, who now had tears welled up in her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I guess I got distracted for a moment.”
“To let your thoughts wander before the god you serve... Never have I seen such an irreverent apostle as you!”
Helik was clearly furious. She turned her body, as if she didn’t even want to look at him.
Kai stared at the back of her head with a troubled expression and sighed.
I really didn’t want to resort to this...
He reached into his inventory and pulled out a box of high-end chocolates that were neatly wrapped. One of the first brands that came to mind when thinking of premium chocolate was Royce’ Chocolate, a Japanese brand that many travelers brought back as souvenirs after visiting Japan.
They’re so rare in MID Online that they sell for insane prices.
Still, there was nothing better than these chocolates to soothe Helik when she was upset.
“Sniff sniff...”
Now a complete snack fiend, Helik flinched. Even though the box was sealed, she somehow sensed the presence of chocolate.
“Helik, please accept this gift. Just forgive me this once.” Kai smiled brightly and offered the chocolate box.
However, something unexpected happened.
“Argh... I shall not be swayed!”
Helik refused the chocolate.
“Th-this can’t be...”
While Kai stood there dumbfounded, mouth agape in disbelief, Helik trembled as she resisted with clenched fists.
Worried, Kai gently held the chocolate box out over her shoulder.
“Helik. You don’t have to hold it in. Don’t push yourself, just take it.”
“Oh... this is the spring Sakura limited edition...”
“I went through a lot to get it for you.”
“Still... still, I mustn’t.”
“Huh? What do you mean by mustn’t?”
At Kai’s question, Helik answered with a tearful voice, “R-Roby said so. She said if I wanted to stay close with you for a long time, I had to be good at push and pull... But I always lose myself whenever I see candy or chocolate, so you might get tired of me quickly...”
As Helik eventually burst into tears, Kai, startled, quickly turned her around.
Her eyes were already puffy, and she wiped her tears with a sorrowful face as she asked, “Waaaa... Is it true... that you got tired of me... because all I care about is candy?”
Her voice sounded as if she carried all the injustice in the world, and Kai denied in panic, “Of course not! Absolutely not. Why would you even think that?”
“But... you haven’t come to see me much lately... and you promised to show me more of the human world, but you didn’t keep that promise... Roby said that means your feelings for me have faded.”
“It’s true I haven’t visited often because I’ve been busy lately, but my feelings for you haven’t changed at all, Helik.”
“Waaaaa.”
“So please don’t think like that. Come now, Helik, no more crying.”
“Okay...”
After continued consoling, Helik's crying soon came to an end. Then, Kai gently stroked her head.
“Our Helik listens so well, how could I possibly dislike you? Please don’t misunderstand.”
“Alright...”
Having completely let go of her doubts, Helik’s cheeks became soft and squishy like freshly steamed rice cakes. It was a sign that she felt truly at ease.
“Well then, Helik, enjoy the chocolate for a bit. Don’t cry, okay?”
“Okay. Where are you going?”
As expected of a child, her emotions swung quickly. Helik, happily nibbling on the cherry blossom-scented chocolate, asked with a giggle.
“I just need to go somewhere for a moment. I’ll be back soon.”
“Alright, stay safe.”
“Yes, I’ll be back...”
As Kai turned with a bright smile, his eyes were burning with fire.
***
“Roby!”
The island where the god of love, Roby, resided was decorated in elegant white and passionate red.
Roby, lying on a beach chair under the warm sun, slightly lifted her sunglasses. “Oh my, and who might this be?”
“Never mind that—what was that all about?”
Roby chuckled as she looked at Kai’s irritated face. “You’re the first mortal to speak to me like that. I am a god, you know.”
“I’m not in the mood for jokes. Why did you say something so pointless to Helik?” Kai’s low voice rumbled like a bomb ready to explode.
“Ah, so that’s why you’re here.” With a mischievous smile as if finding it amusing, Roby shrugged and sipped on her palm-tree drink. “Well, it was fun. You know what I mean, right?”
“Well...”
He had to admit it. Messing with the innocent Helik was admittedly fun.
Roby sat up on her beach chair and continued, “I was just curious. Honestly, I was a little jealous. That little girl’s never relied on someone like this before.”
“Jealous? Of me?”
“Yes. And maybe of Helik too.” Roby stuck out her tongue and said, “I’m envious, you know, that she has the most devotees and the most divine power, and that she has such a capable apostle like you.”
“Is that why you don’t like Helik?”
“No.” Roby shook her head as if to ask what he was talking about. “If I really didn’t like her, it wouldn’t have ended there. I probably would’ve tried to turn you two against each other.”
While Roby’s words were mischievous, they didn't carry any clear hostility toward either Helik or himself.
“Still, don’t pull this kind of prank again. It won’t be funny next time.”
“Oh my, how scary. But alright, I’ll behave. Then you’ll spare some attention for me too, right?”
“... You’ve already lost points.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
Roby laughed, then removed her sunglasses and set them on the table. She was as stunning as ever. It made perfect sense that she was the goddess of love and beauty.
“So, what do you really think?”
“About what?” Kai’s voice, as he responded to the question, was curt.
It sounded like the voice of a father scolding someone who had taught something bad to his own child.
“I mean Helik. What is she to you?”
Kai didn’t quite know what kind of answer she expected. He stared into her large eyes to grasp the intention behind the question.
“She’s someone precious to me. Though she’s the god I serve... to be honest, she feels like a much younger little sister.”
“I see. Judging by how you treat her, I thought you considered her like a daughter.”
“I’ve never been married, so I’m not sure how it feels to treat someone like a daughter...” Kai paused to think, then nodded. “Well, I suppose it could feel something like this.”
“Is that so? Then I’d like you to take what I said to Helik a bit more seriously. I did say it to tease her, but it was also meant as a warning to you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Don’t make Helik cry. She may seem bright and pure, but she’s a child with quite a few scars.”
“Hm.”
It was the second time he had heard something like that, the first from Patrick.
“Could you tell me what happened?”
“It’s rude to pry into a lady’s secrets behind her back.”
That meant she had no intention of telling him.
Eventually, Kai lightly clicked his tongue and turned around. “Anyway, please don’t say weird things like that to Helik ever again.”
“Got it, Father of Helik!”
Leaving Roby, who kept joking until the end, behind, Kai returned to Helik.
***
As punishment for making Helik cry, Kai had to spend the entire day playing with her.
After finishing a session of doctor and patient, Helike asked during a short snack break, “Kai, what is that?”
She was sitting on the edge of the Celestial Garden, looking as though she might fall off the island at any moment. But no matter how dangerous it seemed, she was still a god.
Kai, who was sitting next to her, turned to look at her. “What?”
“That thing over there. Hm... maybe it’s not visible to your eyes. Then this should help.”
Helik lightly twirled a strand of her hair, and a brief video appeared in front of Kai. The video showed players walking around a city.
“What are those things they’re holding in their hands?”
“Oh... that.” Recognizing the item Helik pointed at, Kai nodded. “It’s called a phone.”
“Pawn? Does that mean a servant?”
“No, not a pawn. I mean phone... Hmm.” Thinking about how best to explain, Kai gave her a suitable example. “It’s a type of communicator. With it, you can contact someone even if they’re far away.”
“Wooow, that’s amazing. But how is it different from a long-range communication crystal? It looks the same.”
“Yes. It looks the same, but it can’t make calls like the crystal. Instead, it can send messages.”
“Messages... So it lets you communicate using written words.”
“That’s right. Clever as always.”
As Kai gently patted her head, Helik smiled with joy.
“So if I have one of those, I can talk to anyone I want?”
"Yes, as long as you register the other person's identification number, it's simple."
“Then... I could use it here too, right?”
“Um, that I’m not sure about. This is the celestial realm.”
“Does that mean it won’t work if it’s another dimension?”
“Probably not.”
“Hmm...” After a moment of thinking, Helik nodded. “Alright. Then I shall make one.”
Helik clenched her small fists with resolve.
“When it’s done, I’ll give one to you.”
“Wait... Is this because I’ve been hard to reach lately?”
Feeling a bit touched, Kai looked at her with eyes full of affection.
Helik nodded. "Mhmm. Last time, I ran out of snacks and couldn’t reach you, so it was really hard for me. Such a thing must never happen again."
The emotional moment ended quickly.